CAO – MX2

A Little Advice from a Married Man

It took until late April, but the timing and elements were finally right to allow me to hop into my hammock and have my first hammock smoke of 2008. My backyard hammock, tied among a small grove of trees, is one of my favorite places to slip away with a good hand-rolled premium cigar and, on occasion, a beverage of my choosing. This ritual provides a moment to think and/or relax, but ultimately it serves to rejuvenate the soul. As valuable and enjoyable our “manly” rituals like this are to us men, women (especially wives) just don’t see the value in them. This is part of the reason it took until late April for this year’s first hammock cigar.

In defense of the ladies, it does appear that this ritual is simply smoking, drinking and being flat out lazy, when there is a multi-page “honey do” list on the refrigerator. On the surface, I could not refute the claim. However, as a man who has been married for quite a long time (at least by today’s standards), I am here to provide a means to avoid this inevitable debate. Yes, you can “have your cake and eat it, too” or I should say “have your cigar and smoke it, too.”

First, if you are thinking, “my lady is logical, I will explain to her the value in an exercise of this nature.” Stop it right now! It’s a waste of time! Why, you ask? It’s a “men are from Mars, women are from Venus” thing, something I assume the reader is somewhat familiar with. The “Mars” in us, and the way we were taught by our fathers, is “Work, then play.” Admittedly, getting the chores done, then relaxing in the hammock and smoking the cigar is preferred by most of us. However, this is a grave mistake the inexperienced male will make. This logic appears to have applied a generation or two ago, when women used to just be from the moon. Now they are from Venus and I am not even sure it is the Venus in our solar system. So here is what you do to ensure your soul is rejuvenated.

Take your free time when she is not around and you are sure she won’t be back for awhile. However, the following details are important for a win-win to occur.

Start no sooner than 10 minutes after she leaves the house (not less), as she may have forgotten something and needs to return home -- only to bust you drinking, smoking and lounging.

Let her know before her departure that you plan to work a couple of items on the “honey do” list. She’ll be proud of you for taking the initiative.

Start your committed chore(s) well before her arrival back home. It will appear to her that you were working for a while, as opposed to just starting.

Pick manly chores, as she has less of an idea of what it takes to perform the task(s) that you performed.

By taking this route, you ensure she comes home to a busy man, doing what he is “supposed” to be doing vs. coming home to the man she swore long ago that she would never be involved with – a smoking, drinking, lazy bum. This is especially true when there is a multi-page “honey do” list on the refrigerator (including new additions that arose in her mind while she was out). She will not be happy and neither will you.

So if you have never been married or are currently divorced, enjoy the fact that you can hit the hammock any time you damn well please, and if you choose, let the chores slip for another day -- which you could do anyway, as this list is likely a very small one.

So, for the single guys and those married ones able to pull it off - lets get smokin'!

Cigar Review:

CAO – MX2

Size: Robusto (5 inches long, 52 Ring Gauge)
Price: $5.50 to $7 range

Mx2 stands for "Maduro times 2" – It is CAO’s double maduro offering, capitalizing on the next phase of the maduro trend in cigars, where a maduro wrapper is used on the outside and on the inside (binder) leaf. In addition to the two aged maduro wrappers, tobaccos from six different countries are utilized to create this cigar.

Tobacco blend:

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Binder: Brazil

Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, Peru

Context

Smoked it on a beautiful day, lying in the backyard hammock. Opened the cap wide with a double guillotine cutter and proceeded to toast it under a torch lighter, before taking the first puff. I was libation free, not even water throughout the whole smoke.

Look and feel

As a maduro should be – it was a dark chocolate colored cigar. The broadleaf wrapper had some subtle veining, but was generally flawless with its oily look, feel and construction. The burn was a little uneven in the beginning, but never got bad enough to warrant any significant maintenance. It soon evened out. I also have to note the long ash that stayed intact through the first half of the cigar. A sign of properly cared for tobacco and construction.

Aroma and Taste

It opened pretty strong and harsh, with a charcoal/bitter opening. Before I could get too concerned, it quickly morphed into a more balanced smoke. The aroma was pleasant and leathery, while the flavor was medium-bodied with a bittersweet taste throughout the smoke. Once it balanced out, it was a flavorful but relatively smooth smoke with only a tinge of spice in a clean finish.

RATING: 9.1 (on a scale of 1 to 10) – An excellent way to go if you want to try the trendy double maduro type of cigar.

I took this one almost down to the nub, and by that time the smoke was becoming unbalanced again. I would have likely scored this even higher, had the opening been consistent with the rest of the cigar.

Cigar Quote:

"A cigar ought not to be smoked solely with the mouth, but with the hand, the eyes, and with the spirit."
– Zino Davidoff

ADVERTISE WITH US!

If you're trying to reach men in their 20s and 30s, or you're trying to reach male readers who have an interest in fitness and health, Bullz-Eye.com's Fitness Channel can be an excellent resource. We offer text link ads and banners of all sizes. Our traffic has grown to more than 60 million page views and 4.5 million unique visitors per month! Contact us and we'll help you meet your advertising needs.